The present invention relates generally to a slide damper system used in a vertical type of furnace for continuously heat-treating the charge of solid matters such as lumps or powder and the like in a combustive gas atmosphere, and more particularly to a slide damper system used in a vertical type of furnace for continuously dry-distilling or heat-treating solid polymer wastes such as waste rubber tires, waste plastics and the like to recover the resulting combustive gases and/or liquids.
Combustible gases such as H.sub.2, CO, CH.sub.4, C.sub.2 H.sub.4, C.sub.2 H.sub.6, etc. are produced in this type of continuous and vertical furnace, such as a furnace for dry-distilling waste rubber tires. Therefore, in order to eliminate the danger of explosion due to binding such gases with oxygen in the air, and in addition to provide smooth control of the charge of waste rubber tires, it is required to shut off the interior of the furnace from the open air, to raise the interior pressure a little higher than atmospheric pressure, and to provide the minimum of non-filled interior space within the furnace.